Are Skunk Shrimp the next best thing?

[tinyfish]

I am wondering if I should add these shrimp because I like the idea of cleaner shrimp but I am wondering if they will leave my livestock alone and how many of these shrimp should I get?
I have a 30 gallon long with 34lbs LR and 40lbs LS. Two 145gph powerheads and Super Skimmer (up to 65gal.) Fish include: six line wrasse, neon goby, green chromis, false percula clown, firefish. Snails include 2 turbos, 14 nassarius, 4 bumblebee, 3 astria. Corals: ugly brown polyps, 1 tiny green stripe mushroom. Lighting 96w 10,000k + 96w actinic.

 

[24aqua]

one cleaner shrimp is fine they do alot of cleaning

 

[5.0stang]

i have 2 of them in a 38 they are doing great they set up they're cleaning station and occasionaly the fish goes to them and the shrimp jumps right on

 

[tinyfish]

I picked up my shrimp at my LFS. All it does though is hide in the rocks. I don't really see any cleaning behavior.

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by Tinyfish
I picked up my shrimp at my LFS. All it does though is hide in the rocks. I don't really see any cleaning behavior.
It's best to have at least two. They will clean any of the larger fish (or your hand).

 

[ice4ice]

Give them some time to get comfortable with their surroundings. They will come out eventually.

 

[bluemantr]

I think you dont have enough flow in your tank. IMO 2 145gph powerheads not enough for 30 gal. I have 29 gal and around 700gph flow in it.

 

[teen]

ive got a 30gl long as well and i also have a lot more flow, but thats up to you if you want to add more or not.
about the cleaner shrimp, i have one in my tank and he doesnt clean any of my fish. he does clean any slime off new corals though, and the rest of the time he just travels the tank picking at stuff or i just hand feed him. id say 1 or 2 would be fine for the tank.

 

[tinyfish]

Teen, I am glad to find someone with the same tank as me. I was wondering if you would share your equipment setup and stock list.

 

[teen]

for flow i have a 850gph powerhead, a 350gph powerhead, and a 550gph return pump and im planning on adding more.
lighting is a 250w Metal Halide pendant soon to have a 14k phoenix bulb, right now im using the stock hamilton bulb.
~35lbs of LR
~3 inch sand bed
fish are sixline wrasse and a gold stripe maroon clown
corals
sps- purple montipora digitata, green montipora digitata, green encrusting monti, chips acro, tricolor acro, purple milleopora, purple with blue tip milleopora, neon green monti cap, pavona cactus.
lps- frogspawn, hammer, candy cane
softies- colt coral, kenya trees, green star polyps, bunch of various color zoas, few different type of shrooms, ricordea
inverts- 1 cleaner shrimp, bullseye pistol shrimp, trubo and nassarius snails, persian sand conch, 2 mexican turbos, porcelain crab, flame scallop, crocea clam, squamosa clam.
skimmer is the same you have, 65gal. coralife super skimmer.
let me know if you have any questions or need any help.

 

[tinyfish]

Teen, it looks like you have lots of coral, its no wonder you have that much flow. You mentioned a return pump. Is that for a sump/refugium or something else? I looked in my spare parts box and found another powerhead rated at 175gph. I also found an old canister filter that I am trying to glue together to use just the pump on (no filter media). I was reading that people recommend forming an X with the powerheads. Mine are currently blowing behind the live rock. What do yours do?
How long have you been doing salt? How long has your tank been set up?
I have thought about building a refugium but with such a small space under the tank I am not quite sure. I am not willing to do the HOB type.

 

[reefkprz]

or if you want you can put a fire shrimp in as well they do "cleaner" rituals (not as prevalent as the skunk)I have seen mine Hanging off the side of my blenny picking at him the blenny just lays there for it so he's obviously doing something the blennie likes, I keep a skunk, a fire, and a peppermint all in the same 75G they all have their own turf and leave each other alone, I myself like the diversity.

 

[teen]

the return pump is for my 10 gallon sump. it keeps most of the equipment out of the display tank. doesnt the coralife super skimmer take up a lot of room in your tank?
your probably better off getting rid of all the power heads you have now and get 2 1200 gph heads, or 2 800s, this way you have plenty of flow and you dont have 4 or so power heads crowding you tank.
my return pump line is not that powerful, but it blows into the center of my tank, and then the other two are on the sides, blowing towards the center.
ive been doing salt for 6 years, my fishy only tank has been runnig 6 years, and my reef (the 30 gallon) has been running since begining of april.
and the refugium can go to the side of the tank, doesnt have to be under the tank in a cabinet. it will also help clear out your main tank and add water volume to your tank.

 

[ci11337]

My cleaner shrimp stalks my fish, (and my hand) if any fish swims anywhere near him he jumps right on and dosen't let go until the fish throws him off. It's kinda fun to watch and i'm sure i won't have any sudden external parasite outbreaks.

 

[tinyfish]

I did finally see the smaller cleaner shrimp clean my chromis. The chromis tried several times to get the shrimp to clean him but the shrimp jumped on for just a little bit and then jumped off.
They are kind of funny to watch.
Teen, could you take a picture of your setup? I would like to see it.

 

[tinyfish]

Both my shrimp molted last night. I netted the old skins out. They stayed hidden most of today.

 

[chutneyjh]

It seems to me that the cleaning behavior is more dependent on the fish presenting itself to the shrimp to be cleaned than the shrimp itself. My cleaner will clean my larger fish but it's never cleaned any of my smaller fish. My tang comes right up to my cleaner and hovers until the shrimp cleans it.

 

[whackamole]

wow teen u have an identical set up to me. very cool (except my lights sucks and ur kick a) good luck w/ this ur fish and ur cleaner shrimp. i think im going to get one except i was wondering if my coral banded would mess with it hes rather large

 

[teen]

coral banded shrimp are pretty nasty. if i was you id bring him back to the lfs (if you can) and trade him in for a cleaner shrimp.

 

[teen]

heres some tank shots, i suck at taking full tank pics.
left before and right before